Determinants of poverty risk in the Philippines

Date

2014-12

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Abstract

This study used food expenditure pattern in order to identify socioeconomic and demographic factors that would be used as determinants of food poverty at a household level. Using data from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey 2009 and employing Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) Regression Model, this study tested the factors that significantly affect food expenditure pattern ofhouseholds. The results of the OLS test were then fed into a Binary Logistic Regression Model (Logit) to determine if the said factors were also significant determinants of food poverty likelihood. Socioeconomic and demographic variables considered in the study were income, household composition, location (region and urbanity), and household head characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, employment, and educational attainment. All variables included except for household head age were statistically significant and showed the expected effects in determining food expenditure pattern. However, household head gender and marital status appeared to be insignificant in determining household poverty probability. Based on the results, this study recommends that policies for poverty and hunger alleviation should consider the significant characteristics in targeting the recipients of policies to be implemented, including family planning and responsible parenthood policies, better education and more employment which indirectly improve the food status of households.

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Keywords

expenditure pattern, Family income, food poverty

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